Chapter 14
Thalia spent the remainder of the afternoon in her room. She did not want a repeat of any of the incidents that had occurred earlier. The kisses, or the hostile exchange with Laird MacGibbon. They all swirled in her mind, such that she could not relax for a moment.
Eventually, she left her room and went to the library, where she picked out a few books that appealed to her. As she made her way back to her room, she saw Daisy and Rowena waiting outside for her. Daisy waved, and Thalia happily waved back.
“Lady Thalia!” Daisy greeted, her face bright with excitement. “I was lookin’ for ye!”
“Well, ye found me.” Thalia smiled, kneeling down before her. “Did ye want to spend some time together?”
“Daisy needs to finish copying down a passage from a book, and she insisted that she would work better if ye were in the same room,” Rowena explained.
“I see.” Thalia shot Daisy a stern look. “Ye can stay with me, but ye have to do yer work. Understand?”
Daisy nodded earnestly. “I promise.”
“Good.” Thalia ruffled her hair sweetly. “Come on in.”
Daisy ran into the room first, finding the table and chair that were placed in the corner of the room. She climbed onto the chair and began to set up her stationery. She had her quill, inkwell, paper, and her book.
Thalia and Rowena followed in after, and Rowena gently closed the door behind them.
Thalia took her place on her bed, and Rowena pulled up another chair closer to Daisy. She had a pair of socks in her hands that she was mending, and Thalia could only assume that they were Daisy’s.
The older woman’s hands moved precisely as they sewed the wool back together. She hummed a tune under her breath as she worked, something upbeat and cheerful that Thalia did not recognize, but she enjoyed it just the same.
“What kind of passage are ye copyin’ down, sweetheart?” Thalia asked, watching as the young girl carefully opened her book to where she had left off.
“It’s a history of MacAinsley,” Daisy replied. “Rowena has me writin’ it down because it’ll help me remember it all.”
“That sounds very smart,” Thalia praised, and Rowena gave a small smile even though her gaze was still on her work. “Is Rowena in charge of yer education?”
“For now.” Daisy shrugged.
“Laird MacAinsley wants to hire her a proper tutor, but he didnae want to overwhelm her with too many new people,” Rowena interjected.
Thalia nodded. “That makes sense.”
Daisy carefully dipped her quill into the inkwell and began to sketch out the letters on the page.
Each motion was calculated, and as she concentrated, her tongue slid between her teeth and stuck out the side of her mouth.
Thalia almost laughed at the sight, but she did not want to break her concentration.
So she turned her attention back to her book.
It was a book on the plants in the area, with detailed descriptions of each one, including drawings, diagrams, and useful properties or dangers to keep in mind.
Thalia wasn’t sure she would find any new information in it, but it wouldn’t hurt to check.
Even if she did come across material she already knew, it could help her memorize it.
The three of them sat in companionable silence for some time.
The only sound in the room was the light scratching of Daisy’s quill on her paper, and the light rustling as Thalia turned a page in her book.
It was a lovely way to pass the time, and a nice contrast to the chaos that the morning had brought.
Thalia felt comfortable in this setting. She began to imagine spending her afternoons just like this. Perhaps there was some good to look forward to for the next year. Her earlier fears began to ease, and she was becoming optimistic about what the future would bring.
The afternoon gave way to the evening, and the shadows began to lengthen across the floor. They had all been working silently for a few hours, but Thalia was beginning to feel hungry.
A knock on the door made all three of them look up curiously.
“Thalia? May I come in? I brought dinner,” the voice asked, a bit muffled by the wood.
Thalia leapt up and ran to the door. Ava stood outside, holding up two plates of food. They were both piled with potatoes, turnips, and meat that Thalia suspected was venison.
“Oh!” Rowena stood quickly. “I didnae realize dinner was ready. I’ll go fetch some for Daisy.”
“Can I eat in here tonight, Rowena?” Daisy whined. “Please?”
Rowena pursed her lips. “All right. I’ll be right back with yer plate.”
She moved past Ava and disappeared down the hallway.
Ava handed a plate to Thalia, then moved to occupy the chair Rowena had vacated. She looked at Daisy’s work station, nodding at the still-open book.
“What are ye workin’ on?” she asked.
“I’m practicin’ me readin’ and writin’ by copyin’ this history book,” Daisy replied. “I daenae like the readin’ so much, but I do like writin’.”
Ava nodded. “Aye, I have heard how brilliant a writer ye are.”
Daisy flushed, her eyes darting away. “Oh… well…”
Ava laughed. “Daenae worry, sweet girl. I’m only teasin’ ye.” She tapped the underside of Daisy’s chin, and the girl giggled at the attention.
Thalia’s eyes darted between them. Ava must know about Daisy’s lineage. Technically, Daisy and Nathan were half-siblings. Thalia did not see many similarities between the two children, but she wondered if Ava could. Sometimes mothers could see things that other people couldn’t.
Thalia looked down at the food on her plate.
She missed her mother sometimes. It had been a long time since they had spoken, and even longer since they had anything meaningful to say to each other.
Thalia hadn’t seen her at the handfasting ceremony, but she wouldn’t be surprised if her mother didn’t even know about it.
Rowena returned then, holding two plates of food. She handed one to Daisy. Ava stood, moving to sit next to Thalia on the bed, and Rowena sat in the chair closest to Daisy again.
“Are ye stayin’ for the cèilidh, Aunt Ava?” Daisy asked.
“Aye, I am. Someone has to help keep an eye on ye.” Ava teased, giving her a wink.
“I could use all the help I can get,” Rowena laughed.
“Me first cèilidh,” Daisy sighed dreamily. “Food, dancing, and music. I cannae wait!”
“Aye, it should be a great time,” Ava agreed.
“I suppose I should send out invitations.” Thalia tapped a finger on her chin in thought. “I havenae had the chance to tell Emma or our maither about the engagement.”
“Yer maither?” Daisy asked with wide eyes. “What is she like? Will I get to meet her?”
Thalia hesitated for a moment as she tried to piece together her response. Thankfully, Ava jumped in.
“Our maither is a sweet and kind woman. She taught Thalia all about plants when we were younger. I’m sure she would like ye very much.”
Daisy smiled at that.
Thalia took a bite of her food to hide her expression. She noticed that Ava did not explicitly say that their mother and Daisy would meet.
“What about yer faither?” Daisy asked. “Will he be comin’, too?”
Ava’s face fell, and Thalia stepped in. “Nay, our faither died several years ago.”
Daisy deflated. “What happened?”
“He got very sick, and he didnae get better,” Thalia answered as calmly as she could.
That memory still stuck with her, especially since none of the healers had been able to do anything to help him.
“I’m sorry,” Daisy mumbled.
Thalia nodded, her throat thickening with sorrow. “It’s why I decided to become a healer. So that nothin’ like that would ever happen to anyone else.”
“Oh, that’s lovely, me Lady,” Rowena commented, dabbing at her eyes.
Daisy set her plate down and stood up from her chair. “I want to be a healer, too. I want to help people just like ye.”
She looked at the adults as if daring any of them to defy her. It made Thalia’s chest swell with happiness. It was nice to be admired by someone she had grown to care for so much.
The joy was short-lived, as a brief stab of pain shot through her chest. She wouldn’t be here forever; this betrothal was only temporary, after all.
After it was over, how often would she be able to come and see Daisy?
She was sure Finlay would not purposely keep them apart, but it would be different having to travel the distance between MacCabe Castle and MacAinsley Castle just for a simple lesson on plants.
She pushed the thought out of her mind. She and Daisy were together now, and that was all that mattered.
“I’d be happy to start givin’ ye lessons. I daenae think ye’d have any trouble pickin’ it up,” she answered.
Daisy grinned and threw herself at Thalia, who barely had any warning before pushing her plate out of the way and wrapping the young girl in her arms.
“Thank ye, thank ye, thank ye,” Daisy whispered breathlessly in her ear.
Thalia hugged the girl tightly, relishing in the affection. She tried not to wish for what she knew was impossible: that the betrothal could be real, and then she would never have to leave Daisy or Finlay. That was not what Finlay wanted, so she would have to keep herself from wanting it.
The next morning, Thalia set out to begin her lessons with Daisy. She had skipped breakfast—the previous day still left a bitter taste in her mouth—and she went down the front steps hand in hand with Daisy.
It was a bright, warm day, and the courtyard was teeming with servants as they went about their daily chores.
The flash of a steel sword caught her eye, and she noticed that there were more men than usual practicing on the training grounds.
At least a few dozen men, all in various stages of fighting.
Some wielded swords, others were shooting arrows, and a few were even wrestling with each other.